Toddlers who won't sleep; Youth Crime Commissioners; Christine Lagarde; History of lipstick

Yesterday it was reported that Kerry Boyd, the 20 year old Youth Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, has been suspended from her post following allegations that she has had a relationship with a 50 year old married man who was an ex local councillor. Kerry was appointed to replace 17 year old Paris Brown, who resigned from her post in April last year following criticism over posts she had made on Twitter. So does this prove that young people have no place in positions of public authority, or should we be less quick to judge their mistakes and instead consider the valuable contribution they could make on matters of public policy? Jenni is joined by Bob Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Tasnim Miah, a Youth Commissioner for the West Midlands, and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist for The Independent.

 

Christine Lagarde is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and one of the most powerful women in world. This week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Lagarde’s name should be put forward as a candidate for the post of EU President. It’s a suggestion that appeals to the British Government but would she be a good choice? She only entered politics in 2005 but has made a good impression on the international scene having been the first female finance minister in the G8 and a tough negotiator as boss of the IMF. 

We all expect that babies don’t sleep through the night – but what about toddlers and older children? And how can you prepare for it as a parent? Sam Sims, mum of three-year-old Barney, says he’s never slept through, which led to lots of sleepless and lonely nights when she wondered if she was the only one still up. Her new website Up All Hours is designed to help parents connect with each other during the night, so they don’t feel so isolated. Sam joins Jenni along with Dr Rebecca Martyn, Clinical Psychologist in the paediatric sleep clinic at Evelina Children’s Hospital in London. 

On Wednesday, the day of the Queen’s speech, Jenni spoke to the Women’s Minister Nicky Morgan about the government’s new plan of tax-relief for childcare. All working parents with children under the age of 12 will be eligible – so long as they earn less than £150,000 a year – for a tax free subsidy of up to £2000 per child. Lots of you got in touch to let us know what you thought of the bill.

New research has revealed that 40% of women admit to applying red lipstick in order to attract the attention of a male boss. They believe that it will lead to promotion and a study by scientists at Manchester University last year appears to support this belief because it has been proved that men are most attracted to red lipstick over any other colour. Women have been using lipstick for thousands of years but it was with the arrival of photography and cinema that lipstick became popular across the globe. Social historian Madeleine Marsh is the author of The History of Compacts & Cosmetics. She talks to Jenni about the history of lipstick, lipstick fashions and the significance and popularity of red lipstick.